Effective and creepy flick

Rating: 7/10 (11 October 2006)

Shooting this on digital video was the best move Danny Boyle made with this violent and quite creepy movie. It gives the movie a look as bleak and oppressive as the story it tells. Its vicious looking, cold and picks up on every detail. It puts the action, and every drop of blood, right in your face, and that sets it apart from (and lifts it above) the standard set by most Hollywood movies in its genre (Dawn of the Dead remake, Land of the Dead). The hand-held 'shaky-cam' makes for an extremely hyper-kinetic cinematography, and that conveys to the attacks by the 'infected' in their unstoppable rage. And to the desperation so well portrayed by the actors both during safety, but also during fights. Selena hacking away at an infected with a machete is particularly nasty.
Personally I have always preferred slow zombies over fast moving like the ones from Nightmare City or the new Dawn remake, as the slow make for more hopeless situation and desperation. (you can run, but you cannot hide) The ability to outrun zombies makes for a perfect sense of safety even though there is none.
Although the 'infected' are not zombies, they are in the same ballpark. In this case their ability to move fast and make chase only help empathize the force that drives them. Pure rage. Any other emotion and self perseverance is completely gone, and that makes for some truly psychotic and terrifying antagonists. Times have changed (unfortunately) and extras aren't a buck a dozen anymore, and due to the films small budget, we never get a massive amount of 'infected' on screen at any one time and that takes away at the apocalyptic feel of the film unfortunately. But the ones that get on screen lifts the action and tension up to whole new highs.
The acting are all you could wish for from Cillian Murphy, Brendan Gleeson and Naomie Harris. Their behavior and choices are well founded, and when in panic, you totally forget to 'know better'. Never did I think "why didn't they do that or this" or "how come..." because the desperation is transferred so well. And heres the exception. The kid actor! How come 9 out of 10 kid actors suck? And how come directors never see it, or do something about it if they do? Megan Burns fortunately has few important scenes, but the ones she has, she sinks with bravura. Everything she says is in a monotone voice and her body language is about as lively as a corpse's. The soldiers roles calls for some depth also. They are stereotyped, somewhat due to their simple dialogue, but also in the role they play in this story. But they do it convincingly enough, and the story will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Overall an effective and creepy flick but remember; movies should be seen on the big screen in the darkness. Especially this one benefits from that.